It’s Sunday evening at our house. The kids are in bed, and it’s time for a ritual that my wife and I have had for almost all ten years of our marriage. It’s ice cream night. But tonight is different, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s just won’t do. I needed to kick back, and have a beer. Well thanks to the creative geniuses at New Belgium, because now I can have both. Tonight we are introducing New Belgium/Ben & Jerry’s Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale.

Now I have had beers of all sorts of different flavors, including mint, s’mores, smoked, habanero, but an ice cream beer is a first for me. The question one needs to ask is if this is a gimmick, or if a creative entry paving the way for future beers paired with ice cream. Let’s crack into this and find out.

This beer pours a deep reddish brown. It had a thick foamy head on it that is slightly brown in color. I am picking up a sweet coffee like aroma of my first pass on the nose. On the second pass I picking up some dark chocolate noes. The beer drinks with a lighter mouth-feel then I was expecting. It is very effervescent, and has ample carbonation. It is a sweet beer, with a lot of umami flavors. So in essence Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale tastes like a rich dark chocolate, as compared to a sugar loaded Twinkie. It’s a very simple beer in flavors, but yet hides a deep complexity. It leaves a salty dryness in the after taste.

This is a very forgiving beer to serve. It doesn’t really need a specific glass. Also this beer tastes equally great just below room temperature, or even a little cooler. I would recommend starting with it cool, and allowing it to warm up as you sip on it so that you can enjoy it’s range of flavors. As far as pairing goes, I think this beer would pair well with hearty meats and stews, especially pork.

So who will like this beer? Well I would be hard pressed to find a craft beer drinker who wouldn’t enjoy Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale. It’s got enough complexity to appeal to a more serious craft beer drinker who is curious, but it is balanced enough to appeal to the casual beer drinker. It is well balanced between malty and hoppy, and has all the flavors one would expect from a beer called Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale. In other words, this beer is delicious.

So the next time you and your loved one can’t agree on the night’s special treat, pick up a six-pack of Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale, and get the best of both worlds! Until next time, keep the beer mugs full. Prost!